Abbot
17 February 1706, Salzburg - 5 November 1785, Salzburg
The man who gave St. Peter’s Church its face. During his long abbacy (1753-1785), Beda Seeauer oversaw a comprehensive rococo redecoration of the church: the ornate stucco work, the gilded altars, and the decorative scheme that gives St. Peter’s its present warm, intimate character. Visitors walking into the church today are walking into Seeauer’s vision.
He presided over the abbey during the same decades that Michael Haydn served as court musician and the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composing sacred music for the Cathedral and court. As one of the most cultured Benedictine abbots of his era, Seeauer was a significant background figure in Mozart’s Salzburg world.
Locations
Founded c. 696 AD
The oldest continuously existing monastery in the German-speaking world. Founded by Saint Rupert of Salzburg around 696 AD. The church interior is the work of Beda Seeauer (rococo redecoration, 1760-1782). Michael Haydn is buried in the crypt. Altomonte's altar paintings enrich the abbey church. The Stiftskeller St.
